Greater Scranton YMCA receives $5,000 grant for Olyphant Early Learning Center
The Greater Scranton YMCA was awarded a $5,000 Community Needs Grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation in April. The grant supported the replacement of the outdoor fence at the Y’s Early Learning Center in Olyphant.
The Olyphant Early Learning Center opened in April 2024 and currently has 102 children up to age 5 enrolled. The center is located on a busy street and was in need of added security and privacy.
Before the new fence was installed, a chain link fence covered 90 percent of the outdoor playground, with the remaining 10 percent vinyl. Grant funding has allowed the Greater Scranton YMCA to replace the chain link fencing with a vinyl option.
“This grant award has enabled our Y to replace the old chain link fence around the outdoor playground at the Olyphant center with a vinyl one, enhancing both the safety and privacy of the children we serve,” said Rich Surridge, Greater Scranton YMCA president and CEO, in a news release.
For more information about early childhood education at the Greater Scranton YMCA, contact Tressa Capoccia, senior director of education, at tcapoccia@gsymca.org or visit the Y online at greaterscrantonymca.org.
Mary Marrara of Jermyn, Wright Center boards member, was awarded the 2025 Ethel Bond Memorial Consumer Award. (Submitted)
Wright Center boards member receives national award
Mary Marrara, co-chair of the Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement board of directors and secretary of the Wright Center for Community Health board of directors — both of which she helped found — was recently awarded the 2025 Ethel Bond Memorial Consumer Award by the National Association of Community Health Centers.
The prestigious national honor recognizes Marrara, a longtime Jermyn resident and community volunteer, for her exceptional volunteer leadership in health center development and her steadfast, compassionate commitment to advancing the mission of community health centers.
A breast cancer survivor, Marrara also co-founded the Wright Center’s Wonderful Women Breast Cancer Support Group, where she supports, uplifts and empowers others facing cancer.
Since 2010, Marrara has been a driving force in the Wright Center’s growth. As co-chair of the annual Dr. William Waters Golf Tournament for the past three years, she has led one of the nonprofit organization’s most significant fundraising efforts, supporting the Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement’s mission to improve health through education, advocacy and services that address poverty, food insecurity, homelessness and other barriers to care.